Artificial flower and method of making it



E. B. AUSTIN.

ARTIFICIALTLOWER AND METHOD OF MAKING IT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN Patented May 9, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

nsrnLLA BAKER AUSTIN, or LOS mourns, CALIFORNIA.

Artificial Flowers and Methods of Making Them, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to artificial flowers and the method of making the same, the principal object of my invention being to produce by a relatively simple and easily resemble natural flowers With the foregoing and other objects in practice method articles of ornamentation or decoration, such as artificlal flowers, fruit and the like, and further, to provide an improved method whereby the resultant article of manufacture may produced, inasmuch as the manufacture of be very economically the finished product involves relatively little time and labor, and likewise involving materials that are comparatively inexpensive.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved method wherein differentl Y colored or shaded materials can be utilize and combined to produce artificial flowers fruits and the like, which greatly and fruit.

view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a part of the apparatus utilized in producing artifi- .cial flowers by my improved method, and showing some of the material positioned on said apparatus during the first step in the method of production.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the material that forms the body and stem of a leaf, and showing said material as it appears after the second step in the methodwof production.

Fig; 3 is a plan view of a blank or form that is utilized in the third step of the method, or while the material is being trimmed to proper shape.

Fig. 4 is aplan view of the blank or form positioned over the body of the material, and with a section of netting posi- :tioned over said blank and material.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showingthe netting folded around the body of the blank Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed .Tanuary 18, 1921.

1S bent double or into said yarn positioned in the point of theprojecting' be of the ARTIFICIAL FLOWER AND METHOD OF MAKING IT.

. Patented May 9, 1922. Serial No. 438,192.

or form and the body of the material that is applied thereto, and with said netting crimped about the edges of said blank and material.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of an artificial leaf constructed in accordance with my invention and by my improved method.

In the production of artificial flowers, fruit and the like by my improved method I make use of a suitable post or standard 10, the same being preferably cylindrical in form, and in the first step of the method I take relatively short sections of yarn 11, and which latter may be composed of any suit-able fibrous material, such as wool, silk, linen or cotton, and said sections of material are colored or shaded to correspond with the natural leaf, flower or object that it is desired to imitate. The center portion of one of these sections of yarn or fibrous material is applied to the lower portion of post or standard 10, and. the projecting end portions of said sections are crossed. A short section of ductile wire 12 of small gage substantially hairpin. shape and the projecting portions of the section of yarn 11 are positioned between the legs of the bent wire with the crossing point of the projecting portions of bend between the legs of the wire. The legs of the wire are then bent so that they cross each other ata point immediately above the crossing portions of the seca second yarn. section is the post or standard 10 immediately above. the loop of the first yarn section, and the projecting portions of said second yarn section are drawn so that they cross each other and the crossing point being disposed immediately above the crossing point of the legs of the wire section 12. The legs ofthewire are now bent so that they cross each other immediately above the crossing point of thesecond yarn section,

tion of yarn, and now looped about and this method of building up the body member of the artificial leaf that is to be produced is continued until a sufficient number of yarn sectionshave been assembled to form the leaf body.

Obviously, all of the yarn sections may same color and which will result in the production of an artificial leaf-having the saimecolor throughout its body portion,

I 13, (see Fig; 3).

of the wire or retaining member 12 have been properly twisted to retain the yarn sections in proper assembled relation, said yarn sections are removed from the post or standard and the loops are severed at points opposite. to the points that are engaged by the crossedlegs of the retaining wire. Thus, a body is produced that is made up of relatively short sections of yarn, the end portions of which project in opposite directions from the centrally arranged twisted-wire, and these projecting end portions are now combed out so as to produce a relatively flat fan-shaped body having the approximate form and appearance as illustrated in Fig. 2.

A blank or form 18 having the shape and size'of the leaf or petal that it is desired to imitate and constructed of card board or sheet metal is now positioned directly over the flat fibrous body and with scissors or a suitable tool the outer edge of the fibrous body is trimmed off so as to give the fibrous body the same shape as the'blank or form A substantially rectangular section 14 of netting of extremely light, weight fibrous material, or metal, is now placed over the blank orform 13 and-the flat fibrous body positioned beneath the same and the projecting portions, of said section of netting arenow folded down around the edges of the form and the fibrous body and into osition beneath the latter, as illustrated in ig. 5. and in thus applying and folding said section of netting the latterYis crimped or pinched around the edges of the form, thereby definitely shaping said section of netting to said blank or form. After this crimping or pinching operation the folded edges of the section of netting are unfolded for a sufficient distance to permit the blank or form 13 to be removed, after which said edges arerefolded and secured to each other on the under side of the artificial leaf or petal body thus formed, and after covering the projecting end portions of the legs of the wi're12 to form an artificial stem the leaf, petal or other artificial object is completed. y

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a substantially circular artificial leaf, produced in accordance with my improvedjmethod, but it will be understood that by the use of proper forms artificial leaves or petals of any desired shape or size may be produced in accordance with my invention, and that by bunching? or gathering the ends of the fibres together substantially spherical objects may be formed to produce artificial fruit.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a relatively simple and easily practiced method for producing artificial leaves, flowers and fruit, and that by the use of proper materials the artificial objects may be colored or shaped in accordance with the colorings and shades of the natural objects that are to be imitated. Further, where bright metallic netting is used for covering the artificial leaves and petals the latter, when completed, have a very pleasing and distinctive appearance, and they can be advantageously used as articles of decoration for wearing apparel, millinery and the like.

I claim as my invention:

1. As a new article of manufacture, an artificial flower member comprising a fibrous body, and a section of netting enclosing said fibrous body and forming an external covering therefor. V

2. As a new article of manufacture, an artificial flower member comprising a duetile member, a fibrous body carried by said ductile member, and a section of netting enclosing said fibrous body and a part of the ductile member and forming an external covering therefor.

As a new article of manufacture, an artificial flower member having a body composed of differently colored fibres, and a section of netting enclosing said fibres and forming an external covering therefor.

4.. As a new article of manufacture, an artificial flower member comprising a duotile carrier, a body formed of differently colored fibres supported by said carrier, and a section of netting enclosing said fibrous body and a part of said carrier and forming an external covering therefor.

5. The herein described method of making artificial flowers, which consists in assembling a plurality of fibrous members, tying said members together, separating the projecting end portions of said fibrous members to form a substantially flat fibrous body, and then enclosing said fibrous body within a section of netting which latter forms an external covering for said fibrous body.

6. The herein described method of making artificial flowers and the like, which consists in mounting upon a ductile support a substantially flat fibrous body, then trimming the edges of said fibrous body to give said body the desired shape, and then enclosing said body in a section of netting which latter forms an external covering for said fibrous body.

7 The herein described method of making artificial flowers and the like, which consists in assembling upon a ductile support a fibrous body, then cutting said body to the desired shape, and then applying to said artificial flowers and body a section of nettting which latter forms an external covering for said fibrous body.

8. The herein described method of making in mounting upon a ductile support a fibrous body, applying a blank form to said fibrous body, trimming said fibrous body along the edges of said form, and then applying to said trimmed fibrous body a section of netting which latter forms an external covering for said fibrous body.

9. As a new article of manufacture, an

the like, which consists artificial flower member, comprising a body of colored or partially colored fibres, and a bright metallic netting enclosing said body.

10. As a new article of manufacture, an artificial flower member, comprising a body of colored or partially colored fibres, and a colored netting enclosing said body of fibres and forming an external covering therefor.

In testimony whereof I have name to this specification.

ESTELLA BAKER AUSTIN.

signed my 

